The Borongan city government in Eastern Samar has opened the first drive-thru inoculation site in the Eastern Visayas region to speed up the rollout of coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) vaccines among its residents.

During the first day of vaccination on Wednesday, at least 270 persons got the AstraZeneca jabs from 8 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., said Borongan Mayor Jose Ivan Dayan Agda in a phone interview on Thursday.

“Pre-registered individuals got vaccines in our drive-thru vaccination site in just five minutes. We have to fast-track the vaccination drive to end this pandemic. We will continue to operate the site for as long as there are available vaccines,” Agda told the Philippine News Agency.

On Thursday, the city government provided vaccines to 170 target individuals at the drive-thru site along the city’s Baybay Boulevard.

Currently, available vaccines on-site are intended for health workers and senior citizens.

Aside from the drive-thru site, other vaccination hubs are the Eugenio S. Daza Pilot Elementary School in Balud village and the covered court of Maypangdan village.

More than 2,000 Borongan residents have received the vaccines since their rollout in April. The mayor has been visiting villages to raise public awareness on the benefits of the vaccination program.

“We have to immediately inoculate as many people as we can since we don’t have any facility in the city that can treat Covid-19 patients with severe symptoms. The nearest referral hospital is in Tacloban, which is about a three to four-hour drive from our city,” Agda said.

As of May 19, Borongan has just recorded 149 confirmed Covid-19 cases, including 147 recoveries, and 11 deaths. There are only two remaining cases.

Borongan, the capital of Eastern Samar province is located 190 kilometers northeast of this city, the regional capital, which has a population of nearly 70,000 in 61 villages. (PNA)